Education Update - July 2002

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18SPECIAL EDUCATION ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ JULY 2002SPECIAL ED STUDENT BENEFITS FROM INCLUSIONBy MIKE COHENAlex’s eyes were darting side to side lookingfor a student on the other team to challengewith a fast throw. Then with an explosive forwardarm motion, Alex let loose a dart of a tossthat was headed right to a girl on the otherteam. With lightening quick reflexes, shequickly raised her hands and caught the spongyball, firmly in her hand. “Yea,” screamed thejubilant girl. “Ohh,” said Alex, his smile stillbeaming brightly. A teammate quickly tappedAlex on the shoulder, and in this cooperativebrand of dodge ball, where no one sits out,Alex never had to leave the game he was havingso much fun playing.For Alex, age 10, this was more then just theordinary gym class. As a student at The JewishGuild for the Blind’s Guild School, Alex wasparticipating in his first mainstream physicaleducation class at Columbia Grammar andPreparatory School.“It’s an opportunity for him to participatewith other kids that are close to his level of athleticability,” says Debbie Workman, Alex’steacher for the past two years. “The way heperforms on a basketball court allows him tohave social interactions with typically developingkids.”Alex, who has vision and hearing impairments,has a talent and love for sports. Theultra fast and agile Alex, can shoot a basketball,throw a football, and hit a baseball despitehis apparent disabilities. Thus, taking a physicaleducation class with kids close to his sportsability, plays to his strengths and speaks to theprinciples behind the inclusion of students withspecial education needs into regular education(The Regular Education Initiative).The Regular Education Initiative (REI)began to gather momentum in 1975 when congresspassed the Education for AllHandicapped Children Act. In 1990 a reauthorizationof this law, The Individuals withDisabilities Education Act (IDEA), broughtfocused attention to where children with disabilitiesshould be educated. Today, even withthe legislative mandate the question remains:Should students’ with special learning needs betaught in regular education?“I think it’s great,” says Mark Alter,Steinhardt School of Education professor atNYU when asked about Alex attending gymAlex prepares for his gym class at Columbia Grammarwith his teacher Mike Cohenclass at Columbia Grammar. “We live in anintegrated culture and no one should be deniedaccess to and participation in any environmentbecause of a physical barrier, a disability, or alabel.”At Columbia Grammar, Alex’s first physicaleducation experience was, indeed, great—and,not just for him. The children at ColumbiaGrammar quickly accepted Alex into theirclass and supported him during the group’sactivities. As we often see, kids can becomeoverly competitive, so to accept Alex into theirclass required the other children to adapt theirway of playing.ADD?Develop Individual Strategiesfor Work, Learning, and Life:• Time management• Organization• Prioritizing and decision-making• Interpersonal skillsYour goals are possible!Call for a ComplimentaryPhone Consultation212-614-7317Bonnie MincuADD Coach, adults 17+ • www.bonniemincu.comPhoto Courtesy of the Jewish Guild for the Blind School.“Our kids learned alot about themselves,”says the physical educationteacher JeanneLevin. “They saw howwell they were able tointeract with Alex andthe game took on amore significant meaning.”Alex also did his part.“He adjusted verywell,” says Levin. “Heseemed so comfortable.He watched me and followeddirections closely.He was respectful ofmy lesson.”In fact, Alex proved toLenore Ruben,CSW, BS Special EdLevin and to me that all kids are basically thesame. While receiving the pre-game instructions,Alex was no more fidgety then any of theother students in the class. “He was excitedlike the rest of the kids,” says Ms. Levin. “Hewas basically looking at me and saying ‘let’splay teacher,’ no more talking.” His classmatesfor the day were no different.While this experience was a new one forAlex and the Columbia Grammar third graders,they played together like “old” friends. Theirdifferences seemed to disappear as theyplayed. The students from Columbia Grammarwere impressed with Alex’s ability and attitude,and Alex was made to feel like a memberof the class. Guild School principal, Dr. CaroleGothelf, couldn’t hold back her enthusiasm;“We are strengthened by the fact that onceagain, our kids can make it in the mainstream.”#Mike Cohen is the Adaptive PhysicalEducation teacher at the Jewish Guild for theBlind, Guild School.Family, Child & Individual therapy- Hypnotherapy - EMDR -Support groupsSpecializing In:• Attention Deficit DisorderAdults and children with symptoms ADD/ADHD* Official medical diagnosis not required• Stress management & meditation groups212-734-2047171 East 74th Street, C2WINDWARD TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE13 Windward Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605ADD / ADHDLearning DisabilitiesDepression, Anxiety.Gabriela Hohn, Ph.D.Clinical Neuropsychologist153 Waverly PlaceNYC 10014Call for information on upcomingparent education seminars212.691.0291geh6@columbia.eduhttp://G.E.Hohn.PhD.att.home.net• Expository Writing InstructionDates: July 8-11or July 22-25SUMMER COURSESTime: 9 AM - 1 PM Fee: $425(manual included)• Multisensory Reading Instruction, Parts IDates: July 15-19 Time: 9 AM - 1 PM Fee: $475(manual included)• Multisensory Reading Instruction, Parts IIDates: July 29 –August 1Time: 9:00 AM –12;30 PMFee: $400Instructor: Judith C. Hochman, Ed.D.Sheila Okin, M.P.S.Instructor: Phyllis Bertin, M.S.Janice Bochicchio, M.S.Instructor: Phyllis Bertin, M.S.Maria Harris, M.S.• Language and LearningDates: July 22-24 Time: 9 AM - 1 PM Fee: $300 Instructor: Lydia Soifer, Ph.D.• Improving Math CompetenceDates: July 29-30 Time: 9 AM - 12 PM Fee: $200 Instructor: Eileen Perlman, M.S.Grades: 1-5For further information call 914-949-1279.www.windwardTTI.orgWindward Teacher Training Institute is part of Windward School,a co-educational, independent school for learning disabled students located in White Plains, NY.
JULY 2002 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ SPECIAL EDUCATION19INCLUSION PROGRAM ATFRANCIS LEWIS HSBy DAVE CODDINGTONOur Inclusion Program at Francis LewisHigh School in Queens has been an everchangingwork in progress. We began the programin September of 1997 without any priorplan. One day before school started, I wasassigned as the Methods and Resource Teacher,which was the title given to the SpecialEducation Teacher in charge of adapting andmodifying the curriculum in an inclusion program.I believe the title is now just plainSpecial Education Teacher.Word went out to the Committees on SpecialEducation that a new high school inclusion programwas canvassing for students with emotionaldisabilities who might be appropriate toreturn to a mainstream high school setting.These students would be on the same level astheir General Ed. peers as far as testing andother requirements. We started with threeyoung men, two eighteen year olds and one sixteen-year-old.The Principal of Francis LewisHigh School, where we were “guests,” had noprior knowledge of inclusion and was not toothrilled by our start up student populationbecause of their age and prior anti-socialbehaviors. She was, however, diplomaticallysupportive and has become more than a friendto inclusion over the past five years.Just before Thanksgiving in 1997, the twoolder students got into a serious fight in thecafeteria and they were reassigned to anotherprogram. About the same time, our third student,who was an undeclared graffiti artist, wascaught creating a masterpiece in a stairwell.The artist was also removed from the schooland was placed in Home Instruction for lack ofa better placement. I became his tutor in GlobalHistory, Spanish and English after schooleveryday for the remainder of the school year.Over the years, I kept in touch with the artist onHome Instruction. He did well with the one-ononeeducational support that I gave him. Hepassed my classes and was placed in a vocationalprogram, which he dropped out of; butlast I heard, he did finally receive his GED.Success from failure!Our program now includes students with varieddisabilities. We try to start students in ourprogram at age14, the same as their high schoolfreshman peers. First, we set up an interview todetermine if the student and family are acceptingof this style of education. Since we offerboth a full academic program and a truncatedvocational/academic program for students, studentsand parents can choose which programwill best meet their needs.At the beginning of each term (and there aretwo terms a year), I meet with each student’ssubject teachers. We set up goals and anyrubrics that might be needed in each class forgrading my included student’s work. This is amammoth challenge: I meet with 30 or moreteachers each term. Fortunately, it has becomeeasier with repeat teachers. As teachers becomemore accepting of the inclusion process theysometimes seek me out when a student’s workneeds adaptations. That’s a very good sign andit means they are buying into the process andthere is hope for the future. Newly graduatedteachers with some background in inclusiveBy CHRIS ROWAN“In the late summer of that year we lived ina house in a village that looked across the riverand the plains to the mountains.” Name theNobel winning author and the title of the work.Literary Riddleseducation tend to accept my students a lot betterthan the “Chalk and Talk” old timers. Thenew teachers are usually more comfortablewith collaboration and team teaching techniques,and they are more accepting of theParaprofessional’s role in the classroom.It took five years to finally program myinclusion students into General Educationclasses without too many problems. The computersystem did not recognize my students asbeing enrolled in the high school since theywere already enrolled in an off-site SpecialEducation school. We were “guests” in theschool without I.D. numbers and without officialclass designations, which resulted in mystudents not being able to go to class. In otherwords, there were serious obstacles to overcomein setting up official class schedules. Adesignated code called “Shared Instruction”was finally created last September and thissolved the dilemma of including our students. Ihad ten students and the high school had threethousand five hundred students. I found outthat I had to wait for my turn to program mystudents and adjust their schedules, just likeany other grade advisor, which added anotherrole to my job. As a grade advisor I had to learnthe requirements for graduation, find out theschedule of standardized testing, learn programmingcodes for classes offered, and a hostof other concepts foreign to a Special Educator.Many times, my biggest obstacles were overcomeby just good public relations. If you can“shmooze” people it will take you a lot lesstime to create a good working program. At thehigh school level collaboration with theGeneral Education teachers is done on a “catchme when you can”, basis and “if I have time,we’ll talk about your student.” I make it a pointto “catch” teachers during their preps or lunchhours to discuss student work and progress. Ijoined the high school Executive Board and theSchool Safety Plan Committee with the intentionof presenting myself as less of a “guest”and more of a member of the high school faculty.I learned what the issues were in theschool and attending the meetings gave me theopportunity to advocate for my students.Inclusion is still considered a SpecialEducation project or program and not a sharedresponsibility of the educational community asa whole. Economics plays a big factor in thedivision of responsibility but that’s a wholenew ball of wax to investigate. I believe thiswill change as more students with disabilitiesfind their rightful place among the mainstreampopulation. It is easier to include students whenthey are younger and it is easier for the generalpopulation to accept them. I have seen a positivechange in my school over the past fiveyears. Three of my students participate in thehigh school chorus; peer tutorials are up thisyear, socializing with peers in classes hasincreased, and a general feeling of acceptancefrom teachers and students is taking hold.When everyone accepts the fact that we alllearn in different ways and at different speeds,then that will be the day when my job will nolonger be necessary.#Dave Coddington is a teacher at FrancisLewis High School.Answers to this month’s riddle:A Farewell to Arms (1929) by ErnestHemingway. It was set during World War I inItaly and Switzerland.Heiskell Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped40 WEST 20TH STREET • NEWYORK, NY 10011-4211 • (212) 206-5400;Summer Programs: Saturday concerts startingat 2:00 p.m. on July 6 & 13. Summer Reading Club for children and teens: Aug. 24.Picture Book Reading, children ages 5-8: M, T,Th, Fri at 2 pm, July 1-Aug. 23.
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